German Bundestag Passes Emergency Care Reform Amid Protests from Rescue Services

The Bundestag approved an emergency care reform intended to prevent overcrowding in hospital emergency departments, with votes from the CDU/CSU and SPD. Rescue services staged a blue-light protest in Berlin in mid-October, with ambulances and rescue helicopters parked in front of the Brandenburg Gate, opposing the legislation. The reform forms part of a wider restructuring of Germany's health system that began with hospital reform, was accompanied in summer by a savings law for statutory health insurance (GKV), and is set to conclude next year with changes to primary care physician provision. Critics have raised objections from multiple quarters. The legislation addresses scenarios such as a father struggling to breathe with a pale face. The article was published by Freitag, authored by Ulrike Baureithel.